Lycia is a wonderful country that gave modern world almost completely destroyed cities with magnificent structures created by famous craftsmen of that time. Much has been lost thousands of years ago, but some works of architectural art have come down to us. They look, of course, not the same as then, but they still amaze people from all over the Earth with their uniqueness.
Numerous huge amphitheaters, aqueducts and sacred places still keeping the rich history of the amazing country of Lycia.
But all these beauties are not as numerous and interesting as the famous Lycian tombs - tombs on the Teke island, which appeared long before the beginning of our era.
You can find them throughout the country. Archaeologists have found a huge number of burials that have come down to us in an unchanged state. They are of great interest for their unusual shape and decorations, created according to all the canons of the Lycian culture.
All tombs are divided into four main types: Kaya, Tapinak, Dakhit and "Doma".
Kaya city of the dead
In Lycia, you can find tombs carved directly into rock... This is one of the very first Lycian burials. A large number of burials can be found in the city of Mira, which is located a few kilometers from the modern city of Demre. Kaya's tombs are assembled into whole complexes and from afar can resemble entire empty settlements.
They are very difficult to reach, so these burials are better preserved than others. Particularly impressionable tourists, arriving in Lycia, do not immediately understand that they have ended up in burial places, and not in an abandoned city.
The tombs consist of square foundations and are decorated with carved columns. A burial chamber is located above them. The facade and columns are decorated with carvings and Lycian ornaments. Currently, some burials are not in the best condition, but they did not become less beautiful because of this.
Tapinac temples of the dead
You can meet them almost throughout the territory. But most of the graves are in the ancient city of Kavn. The most popular burial place was the tomb of Amyntas, which is located in Fethiye.
All tombs are designed as temples with two columns. Outside, they are similar to Kaya, but interior architecture differs. The entrance to the tomb is flanked by a small portico, which is an empty space. Immediately behind it is a burial room.
Homes for the dead
These tombs are very similar to the national ones. Lycian houses... They have several floors and a decorated rectangular entrance.
The entire area of the tombs is covered with icons, drawings in the Gothic style. A burial chamber similar to Tapinak is hidden inside them.
Unusual sarcophagi
The tombs are scattered all over the world, you won't surprise anyone with them. But Lycia is famous for its sarcophagi, which, due to their layered structure, have the shape of a tower. All sarcophagi have three levels.
The first level is represented by the base of the tomb, the second is the burial, and the third is a roof that resembles the roof of an ordinary house.
Servants, slaves were kept on the lower level. The upper ones were intended for gentlemen and the elite and were decorated with frescoes.
The most famous sarcophagus is found at Xanthos. The frescoes that adorn it are kept in.
Sign of respect
All the tombs were executed very gracefully and exquisitely. It can be concluded that the Lycians respected and worshiped death.
They even set up a defense system against robbery. A note was placed near each tomb with a curse warning of what might befall the unbelievers in the event of a robbery. Whole families were guarding the graves. Fines were imposed for looting.
The amount was established either by the closest relatives, or by the deceased himself while still alive.
On our planet there are a huge number of ghost cities, empty and creepy, frightening a traveler who accidentally wandered here, with empty eye sockets of the windows of rickety buildings ...
In this ranking, we will present the 10 most famous abandoned cities, abandoned by people for various reasons: some were abandoned due to bloody wars, others were abandoned under the onslaught of an omnipotent nature.
1. Buried in the sands of the city of Kolmanskop (Namibia)
Kolmanskop
Kolmanskop is an abandoned city in southern Namibia, located a few kilometers from the port of Luderitz.
In 1908, an employee of the railway company Zakaris Leval discovered small diamonds in the sand. This find caused a real diamond rush and thousands of people rushed to the hot sands of the Namib Desert, hoping to make a fortune.
Kolmanskop was built in record time. It took people only two years to build beautiful German-style apartment buildings in the desert, rebuild a school, a hospital, and even a casino. But the days of the city's existence were already numbered.
After the end of the First World War, the value of diamonds on the world market fell, and every year precious stones in the mines of Kolmanskop it got worse. Absence drinking water and constant struggle with sand dunes, made the life of the people of the mining town more and more unbearable.
In the 1950s, Kolmanskop was abandoned by its last inhabitants and became another ghost town on the world map. Soon, nature and desert almost completely buried the town under the sand dunes. Several old houses and the theater building remained unburied, which is still in good condition.
2. The city of atomic scientists Pripyat (Ukraine)
Pripyat is an abandoned city in the "exclusion zone" in northern Ukraine. The workers and scientists of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant lived here until the tragic day - April 26, 1986. On this day, the explosion of the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant put an end to the further existence of the city.
On April 27, the evacuation of people from Pripyat began. Atomic workers and their families were allowed to take with them only the most necessary things and documents, all the property acquired over the years, people left in their abandoned apartments. Over time, Pripyat turned into a ghost town, visited only by extreme and thrill-seekers.
For those wishing to see and evaluate the entire scale of the disaster, the Pripyat-Tour company provides excursions to an abandoned city. Due to the high level of radiation, you can safely stay here for no more than a few hours, and most likely, Pripyat will remain forever a dead city.
3. The futuristic resort city of San Zhi (Taiwan)
In northern Taiwan, near the capital city states Taipei, is the ghost town of San Zhi. According to the idea of the developers, very wealthy people should have bought these houses, because the architecture of the buildings, executed in a futuristic style, was so unusual and revolutionary that it should have attracted a large number of wealthy customers.
But during the construction of the city, unexplained accidents began to occur here and every week there were more and more of them, until the deaths of workers began to happen every day. Word of mouth quickly spread the news of a bad city, which had a very bad effect on the city's reputation for the rich.
The construction was nevertheless finished and even a grand opening was held, but none of the potential clients bought housing here. Not helped by massive advertising campaigns, nor huge discounts, San Zhi became a new ghost town. Now access is prohibited here, and local residents believe that the city is inhabited by the ghosts of people who died here.
4. The medieval city of Kraco (Italy)
About forty kilometers from the Gulf of Taranto in Italy, there is an abandoned old City Kracko. Located on picturesque hills, it was the fiefdom of farmers and plowmen, its inhabitants were engaged in agriculture, grew wheat and other crops.
The first mention of the city dates back to 1060, when the entire land was owned by the Catholic Archbishop Arnaldo.
In 1981, the population of Kracko was just over 2,000 people, and since 1982, due to poor harvests, landslides and constant avalanches, the population of the town began to decline rapidly. Between 1892 and 1922, more than 1,300 people left Kracko. Some left to seek happiness in America, others settled in neighboring cities and villages.
The city was finally abandoned after a strong earthquake in 1963, only a few residents were left to while away their lives in the new ghost town. By the way, it was here that Mel Gibson filmed the scene of the execution of Judas for his masterpiece The Passion of the Christ.
5. The village of Oradour-sur-Glan (France) - a memorial reminiscent of the horrors of fascism
The small ruined village of Oradour-sur-Glane in France stands as a reminder of the monstrous atrocities of the fascists. During World War II, 642 villagers were brutally killed by the Nazis as punishment for the capture of SS Sturmbannführer Helmut Kampf by the French resistance fighters.
According to one version, the Nazis simply confused the villages with consonant names.
A high-ranking fascist was held captive in a neighboring village - Oradour-sur-Vires. The Germans did not spare anyone - neither the elderly, nor women, nor children ... They drove the men to the sheds, where they targeted the legs with machine guns, then doused them with a combustible mixture and set them on fire.
Women, children and old people were locked in the church, then a powerful incendiary device was detonated. People tried to get out of the burning building, but they were mercilessly shot by German machine gunners. Then the Nazis completely destroyed the village.
6. Forbidden island of Gankanjima (Japan)
Gankanjima Island is one of the 505 uninhabited islands in Nagasaki Prefecture, and is located just 15 km from Nagasaki itself. It is also called the battleship island, because of the walls that protect the city from the sea. The history of the settlement of the island began in 1890, when coal was discovered here. Mitsubishi bought the entire area and began a project to extract coal from the bottom of the sea.
In 1916, the first large concrete building was built on the island, and then the buildings began to grow like mushrooms after the rain. And in 1959 the population of the island grew so much that 835 people lived here on one hectare! This was the world record for population density.
In the early 1960s, oil in Japan increasingly began to displace coal in production, its production became unprofitable. Coal mines began to close all over the country, and the Gankanjima mines were no exception.
In 1974, Mitsubishi officially announced the closure of mines and the cessation of all activities on the island. Gankanjima has become another abandoned ghost town. Currently, visiting the island is prohibited, and in 2003 the famous Japanese action movie "Battle Royale" was filmed here.
7. Kadykchan - a village in the Magadan region
Kadykchan is an urban-type settlement located in the Susuman region Magadan region... One of the most famous abandoned northern villages on the Internet. In 1986, according to the census, 10,270 people lived here, and in 2002 - only 875. In Soviet times, coal was mined here the highest quality, which heated almost 2/3 of the Magadan region.
The population of Kadykchan began to decline rapidly after the explosion at the mine in 1996. Several years later, the only boiler house heating the village was thawed, and it became simply impossible to live here.
Now it is just a ghost town, one of many in Russia. Rusty cars are in the garages, and destroyed furniture, books and children's toys are in the rooms. Finally, leaving the dying village, residents shot the bust of V.I. Lenin installed on the square.
8. The walled city of Kowloon (Hong Kong) - a city of lawlessness and anarchy
One of the most incredible ghost towns that no longer exists, is the city of Kowloon, which was located near former airport Kaitak, the city where all the vices and base passions of humanity are embodied. In the 1980s, more than 50,000 people lived here.
Probably, on the planet there was no longer such a place where prostitution, drug addiction, gambling and underground workshops were widespread.
Here it was practically impossible to step even a step so as not to stumble upon a drug addict pumped up with foolishness, or a prostitute who offered her services for a pittance. The Hong Kong authorities practically did not rule the city; it had the highest crime rate in the country.
Eventually, in 1993, the entire population of Kowloon was evicted and briefly became a ghost town. The incredible and eerie settlement was then demolished, and a park of the same name was laid out in its place.
9. Abandoned ghost town Varosha (Cyprus)
Varosha is a district of Famagusta, a city in Northern Cyprus, founded in the 3rd century AD. Until 1974, Varosha was a real "Mecca" for amateurs beach holiday... Thousands of tourists from all over the world flocked here to soak up the gentle rays of the Cypriot sun. They say that the Germans and the British have booked places in luxury hotels for 20 years ahead!
The resort thrived with new hotels and villas until everything changed in 1974. That year, the Turks invaded Varosha with NATO support to shield the Turkish Cypriot minority from the persecution of ethnic Greeks.
Since then, the Varosha quarter has become a ghost town, surrounded by barbed wire, where the Turkish military has not allowed anyone for four decades. Houses are dilapidated, windows are shattered and the streets of the once busy quarter are in widespread devastation. Apartments and shops are empty and completely looted, first by the Turkish military, and then by local looters.
10. Lost city of Agdam (Azerbaijan)
Agdam is a city that was once famous for its wine throughout the Soviet Union, is now dead and uninhabited ... The war in Nagorno-Karabakh, which lasted from 1990 to 1994, did not give a chance for existence of a flat city, where excellent cheese was previously cooked and the best port wine in the Union.
The collapse of the USSR led to the ignition of hotbeds of hostilities in many former republics.
Azerbaijan did not escape this either, whose warriors were able to seize the carriages with rockets located near Aghdam. It turned out to be very convenient with them to bomb the Armenian Stepanakert. Such actions ultimately led to a sad ending.
In the summer of 1993, Aghdam was surrounded by 6,000 soldiers of the Nagorno-Karabakh Liberation Army. With the support of helicopters and tanks, the Armenians practically wiped out the hated city from the face of the earth, and carefully mined the approaches to it. Therefore, until now, visiting the ghost town of Aghdam is unsafe for life.
Ghost cities are scattered throughout the planet and silently keep their secrets. The creations of human hands, abandoned by people, stand deserted and dumb for decades. They are not destroyed, they are simply abandoned - at one point people left them due to compelling reasons. This could be due to the threat of a natural cataclysm, a man-made disaster, a war or an economic crisis.
This list contains some of the most famous ghost towns in the world!
1 Pripyat, Ukraine
Perhaps the most famous ghost town is Pripyat. This city in Ukraine is relatively young - it was built in 1970. In 1986, about 50 thousand people lived there, the first park was opened, the infrastructure was actively developing. And one day - April 26, 1986, the city was evacuated in connection with the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Until now, this city is full of radiation, therefore, excursions and groups of stalkers only occasionally go to its territory.
2 Gunkanjima, Japan
Hashima Island in the East China Sea, nicknamed Gunkanjima (cruiser), was an ordinary rock near Nagasaki in the early 19th century. Coal was discovered there, so the Japanese built an island artificially and began to develop the deposit. The city was the most populous place on the entire planet - on an area of 0.063 sq. m. lived more than 5 thousand people! The peak of activity was reached in the middle of the 20th century, and in 1974 the mines were completely closed, and the city became a ghost.
3 Kolmanskop, Namibia
The history of this city began in 1908, when one of the railway workers discovered diamonds in the southern part of the Namib Desert. The field was transferred to August Strauch, who built on this site german town with a hospital, schools and a stadium. But diamond reserves ran out after a couple of years, and people faced dire conditions. The city was constantly covered with sandstorms, there was no water and no connection with the world. In 1954, the last inhabitants left the city, and he remained standing in the middle of the desert.
4 Famagusta, Cyprus
In the 1970s, the city of Famagusta was tourist center Cyprus. It was especially famous, it houses many hotels and hotels, which were visited by celebrities from all over the world. In 1975, the Turkish army invaded Famagusta and drove the Greeks out of their homes. The Varosha quarter has become a ghost town, because according to the UN resolution of 1984, only its residents can return to it. On the this moment this huge tourist area cities are slowly being swallowed up by nature.
5 Kilamba, Angola
Cities do not always become ghosts because they have been abandoned. Some cities were never settled, for example, the huge city of Nova Sidid de Quilamba near the capital of Angola. It is designed for 500 thousand people, and more than $ 3 billion was spent on the construction. In 2012, the city slowly began to be populated, but in fact it still remains a ghost. There are few middle-class people in Angola who can afford such expensive housing. At the moment, there is only one school where people take children from afar.
6 Tavarga, Libya
A ghost town in Libya was abandoned by locals in 2011 due to genocide. The rebels began a real persecution of the indigenous peoples of the Tavarga, which was once founded by the descendants of black slaves. In addition, this city was under the auspices of the Gaddafi regime, so the rebels ruthlessly destroyed the population - 1300 people are still considered missing. Almost 30 thousand people left the city and still cannot return to their homes. The Libyan government cannot provide them with safety and protection from bullying.
7 Kayakoy, Turkey
The Turkish village of Kayakoy has a rich history, but this did not stop her from becoming a ghost. It was founded in the 19th century by the Greek community and had a well-developed infrastructure. But in the 1920s, the Greeks were forced to leave the places belonging to the Turks, so the villagers simply left here overnight. In addition, in 1957, a powerful earthquake destroyed the last islets of civilization in Kayakey.
8 Sanzhi, Taiwan
This city can hardly be called a ghost, since in 2008 it was decided to demolish it. Unfortunately, it belongs to those buildings where people have never settled. In 1975, it was decided to build an unusual complex of houses in the form of UFO plates. They were built from fiberglass and concrete, taking into account last word technology. However, in the 1980s, when the complex was almost completed, a crisis began in Asia, which led to a construction freeze. The alien houses were abandoned, and Taiwan decided to demolish them in order to build a park on the site.
9 Oradour-sur-Glane, France
This village in France received the title of a martyr city. Today, it still stands as a silent reminder of the atrocities of war, and a new town of the same name was built nearby. Oradour in 1944 was inhabited by French partisans who captured a German officer. In retaliation, the SS killed all the villagers - 205 children, 240 women and 197 men. Since then, the city has been a memorial center.
10 Kadykchan, Russia
One of the most famous abandoned cities in Russia is Kadykchan. It is located in the Magadan region, and was completely abandoned by people in the early 2000s. The city was built in the middle of the 20th century near a coal deposit, but after an explosion in 1996, the mine was closed. The inhabitants of the village began to be slowly resettled, and in 2001 the houses were completely disconnected from the electricity.
Paris is not only in France, but also in China, although it is very small. The construction of the city of Tianducheng began in 2007, then in China there was a fashion for copies of European attractions. There is an Eiffel Tower, three times smaller than the original, Triumphal Arch and the Versailles Park. However, housing here is so expensive that the city has practically remained a ghost - despite the splendor, no one lives in Tianducheng.
All these cities are completely deserted, so they gradually fall into desolation, and nature reclaims its territory back, covering gray buildings with lush greenery.
Dozens of abandoned cities have survived on our planet. Let's talk about the most interesting of them.
1 | Ancient city of Petra, Jordan
Abandoned ancient city of Petra, Jordan. Photo: Thinkstock
The city of Petra was cut down in the mountains by the ancient Nabateans, who for a long time controlled the local trade routes. The most a nice place here - a kilometer of walking path along a narrow canyon, which abuts against the "Treasury" - a huge facade carved out of stone. This business card Petra, who appeared in the film "Indiana Jones and the Last crusade". If you walk a little more along the canyon, you will find yourself in the main valley with the royal tombs, the castle of the Crusaders, ancient temples and the ruins of three Christian churches.
The ancient city of Chufut-Kale, Bakhchisarai, Russia. Photo: Ilya Schurov / Flickr.com
Near Bakhchisarai there is one of the most famous "cave cities" of Crimea - Chufut-Kale, located on a 600-meter steep cliff, which is very difficult to reach. People really lived here, however, not in caves, as was supposed earlier, but in ordinary houses, inexplicably built on steep cliffs.
Only ruins remained of the dwellings, but here even without them there are a lot of interesting things: you can go down into a secret well that goes deep down and is located right in the rock, wander along the ancient streets, look at the remains of the destroyed palace of the royal family.
Ancient city of Teotihuacan, Mexico. Photo: Thinkstock
This is one of the most impressive places in Mexico - an ancient city that belonged to an unknown, but very advanced civilization. In America, before Columbus, there were no more massive structures than the local pyramids of the Sun and Moon. Teotihuacan became depopulated for 5 centuries before the appearance of the Aztecs, who superstitiously believed that these grandiose pyramids were built by the gods. Many Mexicans think so today. Teotihuacan is the main tourist destination in Mexico. Esotericists hope to find here enlightenment, strength, or at least just see a UFO flying by.
Ancient city of Machu Picchu, Peru. Photo: Thinkstock
The main symbol of Peru is a city abandoned many centuries ago, which was accidentally discovered by an American researcher from Yale University - Professor Hiram Bingham. It happened in the summer of 1911, and before that, for more than 400 years, no one had heard of the mysterious city located high in the mountains. Machu Picchu was built at the behest of the great Inca Pachacuteca around 1440, and people lived here until 1532. True, scientists still cannot say for sure whether it was a sacred city or the capital of the Inca empire. After the Spanish conquered America, all the inhabitants mysteriously disappeared.
Ruins of ancient Ephesus, Turkey. Photo: Thinkstock
First Greek, and then - Roman city, Ephesus was one of the most famous cities the ancient world and second in importance and wealth in the Roman Empire. There were baths, a theater, a gymnasium, a library and, as befits a self-respecting ancient city, - a brothel.
The main attraction of Ephesus in ancient times was considered the Temple of Artemis of Ephesus, one of the 7 wonders of the world. His fate turned out to be very sad. Burnt by Herostratus, plundered by the Goths, dismantled for building materials for Christian churches of Byzantium, to our century the "miracle" has preserved only the foundation, and even then, its authenticity is in doubt.
6 | The ancient city of Lamanai, Belize
Lamanai, Belize. Photo: Thinkstock
Ruins ancient city Maya (Indians lived here from about 300 to 900 AD) are located in the jungle, on the banks of the New River, where you can see many exotic birds, howler monkeys and local residents- fishermen on homemade canoes. The ruins of ancient temples in some places literally rise from the jungle and look very picturesque. Centuries ago, tens of thousands of people lived in this city. It is known that when the Spanish invaded Belize in the 16th century, Lamanai was still inhabited. Excavations are still ongoing here.
Ancient city of Hierapolis, Turkey. Photo: Thinkstock
Hierapolis, translated from the ancient Greek language, means “ sacred city". The history of this city is very rich. It was founded in 190 BC by the king of Pergamum Eumenes II. In 133 BC, the city became part of the Roman Empire, later it was ruled by the Byzantines, Arabs, Seljuk, and even survived several strong earthquakes. Despite the cataclysms and hardships, residents left the city only in the XIV century. It is known that thermal springs, located here, helped to heal from any ailment and even raise from the dead: so, in any case, believed the inhabitants of the Roman Empire, who flocked here for treatment.
Ruins of the ancient city of Karakol, Belize. Photo: Thinkstock
The ruins of the ancient Mayan city on the Waca plateau (near the border with Guatemala) are the largest archaeological site of this type in Belize. Scientists managed to excavate more than four dozen large and small structures, some of which are available for visiting. Experts believe that the city of Karakol occupied a huge territory - 90 square kilometers, and in the VI century AD 150 thousand people lived in it. The jungle surrounding the ruins is home to dozens of exotic bird species, as well as tapirs and jaguars.
The ancient city of Angkor, Cambodia. Photo: Shutterstock
About the grandiose historic city Even those who cannot show Cambodia on the map know Angkor. After all, it was from the great Khmer ruins that the abandoned city was "copied" in the Soviet animated series "Mowgli" (100 years earlier, the author of the book, Rudyard Kipling, copied it from Angkor).
But the city became truly famous all over the world after the action movie "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" with Angelina Jolie. About 800 years ago, at the height of the power of the Khmer Empire, Angkor was the largest city of its time. If in London, Paris and Rome at that time there were barely 70,000 to 80,000 people, then about a million lived here.
Ancient city of Chichen Itza, Mexico. Photo: Thinkstock
The ruins of this Mayan city on the Yucatan Peninsula are listed by a worldwide vote modern wonders Sveta. The main pyramid of Chichen Itza - the pyramid of Kukulcan, called in the Spanish manner El Castillo (that is, "castle"), is one of the most replicated tourist symbols like Wall of china or the Eiffel Tower.
This pyramid is an astronomical calendar: the number of steps of its four staircases plus one step of the temple equals 365 - the number of days in a year. The temple at the top of the pyramid was dedicated to Kukulcan, the feathered serpent. On the days of the vernal and autumnal equinox, the shadow from the sun glides along the steps of the temple, creating the effect of a snake crawling along the stairs.
